Where to stay at Manly Beach
A long, flat ocean beach on a narrow strip of land, with the ferry wharf on the harbour side. Almost everything in town is a few minutes from the sand. The places that aren’t are up on the headlands.
Stay anywhere on the flat between the wharf and the beach and you are one to five minutes from the sand. When we checked, hostel beds were $73–$100 a night and beachfront hotels $137–$296. The outliers sold as “Manly” are up in Fairlight and at Q Station on North Head: 14–27 minutes, with a 50–110 m climb home.
At a glance
- 17 km north-east of the CBD
- ferry 22–30 min from Circular Quay
- flags all year at South Steyne
- shark nets 1 Sep – 31 Mar
Manly is flat. Its edges aren’t.
The town sits on a low neck of land between the harbour and the ocean. The Corso runs straight across it, about 500 m from the ferry wharf to the beach, and the hotels, hostels and apartments in between are all on the flat.
Climb out of that strip and it changes. Fairlight rises to the west and North Head to the south-east. The guesthouses in Fairlight and Q Station, the old quarantine station on North Head, came up in the same searches as the beachfront and were sold under the same name. The walking routes put them 1.1–2.2 km from the sand, with a 50–110 m climb home.
90 m the climb home from the Fairlight and North Head hotels most sites sell as “Manly”.
Where to stay
Every place on the map, closest first. Real businesses; nobody paid to be here.
| Map number | Place | Price a night | Walk to the sand | Climb home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hotel SteyneHotel, south end | $100–200 | 1 min walk · 49 m | flat |
| 2 | Peppers Manly BeachHotel, south end | $200–350 | 1 min walk · 91 m | flat |
| 3 | The Sebel Sydney Manly BeachHotel, south end | Not checked | 1 min walk · 97 m | flat |
| 4 | Manly Shores Holiday ApartmentsApartments, middle of the beach | Not checked | 1 min walk · 116 m | flat |
| 5 | Boardrider Backpacker & Budget MotelHostel, south end | Under $100 | 2 min walk · 131 m | flat |
| 6 | Manly Waves HotelHotel, north end | $100–200 | 2 min walk · 171 m | flat |
| 7 | Manly Paradise Motel & ApartmentsHotel, south end | $100–200 | 2 min walk · 176 m | flat |
| 8 | Elysium ManlyHotel, south end | $200–350 | 3 min walk · 241 m | flat |
| 9 | Manly Beach Holiday & Executive ApartmentsApartments, south end | Not checked | 4 min walk · 305 m | flat |
| 10 | Manly BunkhouseHostel, middle of the beach | Not checked | 4 min walk · 310 m | flat |
| 11 | 101 Addison Road Bed & BreakfastGuesthouse, south end | Not checked | 4 min walk · 336 m | 30 m |
| 12 | Manly Beach GuesthouseGuesthouse, middle of the beach | $100–200 | 4 min walk · 353 m | flat |
| 13 | Stoke Beach House, ManlyHostel, south end | $100–200 | 5 min walk · 364 m | flat |
| 14 | Lotus Stay Manly ApartmentsApartments, middle of the beach | Not checked | 5 min walk · 369 m | flat |
| Further back: a bus, or a climb | ||||
| 15 | Cecil Street B&B ManlyGuesthouse | Not checked | 14 min walk · 1,130 m | 50 m |
| 16 | Fairlight GardensGuesthouse | Not checked | 22 min walk · 1,734 m | 70 m |
| 17 | Q Station ManlyHotel | $100–200 | 27 min walk · 2,123 m | 110 m |
How we measure. Times are walking times, not driving: the walking route from each property to the nearest edge of the sand, at an easy 4.8 km/h. Climb is the uphill on the walk home, rounded to 5 m. Prices are bands from one nightly rate on Google Maps on 9 October 2026.
Which end of the beach?
North end
Queenscliff and North Steyne: quieter and more residential, with the Norfolk pines along the promenade. Council lifeguards patrol it from October to April. Manly Waves is a couple of minutes back from the sand here.
Sunil Nepali / Pexels
Middle
The Corso meets the beach at South Steyne. Shops, cafés and pubs line it all the way back to the wharf. Hotel Steyne is on the corner, and Boardrider, Manly Paradise and Elysium are within a few minutes along the beachfront.
Terrazzo / CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia
South end
The flags stay up here all year. Past the surf club, the path follows Marine Parade for about 1 km to Shelly Beach, through Cabbage Tree Bay, a no-take aquatic reserve where snorkelling and diving are allowed. Peppers and The Sebel face this end.
Dillon Hunt / Pexels
Most people arrive by ferry: 22 to 30 minutes from Circular Quay, then 500 m down the Corso to the sand.
Timovchinnikov / CC BY-SA 4.0, WikimediaKnow before you go
How do you get to Manly?
From the city. Take the ferry from Circular Quay. The regular Manly ferry and the faster private service both land at Manly Wharf, on the harbour side; walk the Corso, about 500 m, to the ocean beach. Buses run too, but the ferry is quicker and the trip is half the point.1,2
From the airport. About 28 km by road. By public transport it’s the train to the city and the ferry from Circular Quay. Most people with luggage take a taxi or rideshare.
From Bondi or Coogee. They’re on the other side of the harbour. Allow well over an hour by public transport, through the city and on the ferry.
Is Manly Beach safe?
Is Manly Beach patrolled? Yes, all year at South Steyne, the southern end. Northern Beaches Council lifeguards patrol North Steyne and Queenscliff from October to April, and volunteers from the surf clubs patrol on weekends in the season. Swim between the red and yellow flags.3,1
Does Manly have shark nets? Yes, from 1 September to 31 March. Nets reduce the risk; they don’t make an enclosure. Shark-spotting drones also fly over Sydney’s ocean beaches.4,5
Water quality after rain Stormwater runs onto the beach after heavy rain. Check Beachwatch for the daily pollution forecast before you swim.6
With kids
Swim at South Steyne: the flags are up there all year. Shelly Beach, about 1 km south along the water, is sheltered and usually calmer than the main beach. The whole town is flat between the wharf and the beach, so a pram is easy anywhere on the strip.
The catch
- The crowds. Summer weekends bring the day-trippers off every ferry.
- Distance from the rest of Sydney. Manly is great on its own, but Bondi, Coogee and the city sights mean a ferry ride each way.
- Hotel Steyne, on the corner of the Corso, is a big pub as well as a hotel. If you’re a light sleeper anywhere near it, ask for a room facing away from the bars.
- Outside the season, only South Steyne has flags. Walk south to swim.
Quick answers
Is Manly Beach safe to swim?
- Swim between the flags. South Steyne is patrolled all year; North Steyne and Queenscliff from October to April. Manly has a shark net from 1 September to 31 March. Check Beachwatch after heavy rain.3,1,4,6
Is Manly Beach patrolled in winter?
- Yes, at South Steyne. Northern Beaches Council lifeguards patrol there all year; the other sections are patrolled from October to April.3,1
How long is the ferry to Manly?
- 22 to 30 minutes from Circular Quay.1
How far is Manly from Sydney CBD?
- About 17 km north-east of the CBD by road; much less as the ferry crosses the harbour.7
Where can you snorkel in Manly?
- Cabbage Tree Bay, between Manly Beach and Shelly Beach. It’s a no-take aquatic reserve, so there’s no fishing, but snorkelling and diving are allowed.8
Is it better to stay in Manly or Bondi?
- Manly if you want a flat, walkable beach town with the ferry as your commute; Bondi if you want the coastal walk and the eastern suburbs on your doorstep. They’re on opposite sides of the harbour.
Nearby beaches
Freshwater
the next beach north, past Queenscliff
Dee Why
further up the Northern Beaches
Shelly Beach
about 1 km south along Marine Parade
Side by side: Bondi or Manly, Coogee or Manly, Manly or Watsons Bay.
Ranked in: the best Sydney beaches to stay at (#1), the best Sydney beaches for kids (#3), the best Sydney beaches for swimming (#4), the best Sydney beaches for surfing (#1), the best Sydney beaches to stay at without a car (#2), the best Sydney beaches for a cheap stay (#2), the best Sydney beaches in winter (#3).